Scottish castles and

towers

Craigievar Castle,

Aberdeenshire

Aberdour Castle, Fife • Construction of

the castle started around 1200 Although originally built as a defensive tower house, it was enlarged over the centuries and became a comfortable manor house with extensive formal walled and terraced gardens.

Abernethy Round Tower • This ancient slim Irish Celtic round tower (one

of only two to survive in Scotland) was probably built towards the end of the 11th century.

• The tower is 74 feet high and was used both as a watch tower and as a shelter for the monks from the local monastery.

• At the foot of the tower is a broken Pictish symbol stone. Abernethy had been an important centre of the Pictish kingdom for a long time and the seat of a Celtic bishopric long before Malcolm.

Ackergill Tower,

Caithness

• Dating back to 1476, Ackergill was a Keith stronghold

• In 1988, after a much loved restoration, the castle opened its doors once again and is now the premier letting property in the whole of Scotland.

Airth Castle, Stirling

• The present castle here incorporates a 15th century tower,

• The castle is now a hotel.

Airthrey Castle, Stirling

• During and after the Second World War it became a maternity hospital (the first dedicated facility in the Stirling area). Then in 1967, the estate became the site of Stirling University.

Alloa Tower, Stirling

• Begun in the 15th century as a keep, Alloa Tower rises to four storeys plus a garret. The very thick walls enclose a vaulted basement, a hall on the first floor and another vaulted area on the second floor. The top floor has an unusual timber roof.

• In recent years Alloa Tower has been restored and is open to the public.

Ardincaple Castle,

Helensburgh, Argyll • The tower was used up to

the early 1990s as a navigational aid by nuclear submarines returning to Faslane on the Gare Loch, further along the coast and is still used as a marker by ships in the Firth of Clyde.

Arnot Tower, Kinross

• A tower was built in the early 1400s though earlier fortifications may have occupied the site. The building seen today was probably built in 1507 at a time when a charter was granted making the lands a barony for the Arnot family of that ilk.

Balgonie Castle, Fife

• The castle consists of a 14th century tower house, rising to five storeys, with walls 2.4 metres thick. There is a large hall and a chapel and a vaulted basement.

Ballinbreich Castle, Fife • It’s

Positioned on the south bank of the river Tay in Fife

Balhousie Castle, Perth

• Balhousie Castle is in Perth, not far from the river Tay • In 1962 Balhousie Castle became the regimental

headquarters of the Black Watch and its regimental museum. There is a huge collection of medals, uniforms, pictures and military equipment as well as a number of audio visual presentations.

Bibliogaphy :• http://www.rampantscotland.com/castles/blcastles_index.htm